


Balancing a One-Sided Friendship

by blastheart



Category: Sen no Kiseki, Trails of Cold Steel
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-13
Updated: 2014-08-13
Packaged: 2018-02-13 00:09:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2129679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blastheart/pseuds/blastheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the school festival, Rean tries to get Crow to open up. Contains implied spoilers for the rest of the game.<br/>Assumes Crow ending.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Balancing a One-Sided Friendship

The week after the school festival passed in a blur.

 

The headmaster's announcement, as gently phrased as it was, had hit the student population like a thunderbolt. Many of the students in white and some of those in green disappeared to visit their families. The students who remained had been almost too distracted to dismantle the festival props and stands, and only the careful scrutiny of Towa and the rest of the student council prevented a record number of injuries.

 

The stress took its toll on the students in red as well, and they found themselves often huddled together after class to read the newspaper or speculate. Rean and Laura redoubled their training, while Miriam could often be found in a corner whispering into her ARCUS.

 

Only one person could be said to be conspicuous by his absence, and he vanished so imperceptibly Rean often didn't realize he was gone until he'd already left. Crow seemed to have taken the festival's end as his cue to retreat from Class VII, and he skipped class or just vanished after lessons even more frequently than before.

 

This was standard procedure for Crow, but Rean had understood by now that the older student had a keen eye for politics and underhanded dealings that didn't quite mesh with his flippant exterior, and would have appreciated his insight during Class VII's impromptu strategy meetings. Or just his cheerful way of defusing tension, particularly when Machias seemed about to spontaneously combust at Jusis for yet another poorly calibrated remark.

 

So one evening, after Rean had finished training and was on his way back from a bath, he found himself almost irresistibly drawn to the glow under the door opposite his own.

 

He knocked on the door and waited. After a while, Crow called out “You can come in, I'm decent,” and Rean had to actively stifle a groan while coming in.

 

Crow was lying on his bed, still fully dressed except for the red jacket that hung on a chair, and fiddling with his ARCUS, screwdriver in hand. His twin guns lay gleaming on the desk, with a jar of polish and a soft cloth next to them. Despite waving to Rean, he seemed unusually distracted, and went back to adjusting his orbment.

 

It was an uncharacteristically passive pose for him, and Rean couldn't help but blink. “Are you alright?”

 

Crow swung himself upright and grinned widely and artificially. “Alright? I'm always alright. You should know that by now. Since we're bosom friends and all.”

 

Rean smiled and sat next to him. “Well, I don't know if I would use that phrasing, but it's true that I'm very happy to be your friend.”

 

This earned him a sour look from Crow. “You are the worst. You know that? You could have danced with any of the girls after the festival, and you come sit with me. Waste of the century. There are at least ten guys in Class IV and V who wanted to _lynch_ you. Just so you know.”

 

Rean blinked. “Um. I don't think that's true.”

 

Crow harrumphed and turned moodily back to his orbment. Rean found himself staring at Crow as he adjusted his setup, long fingers nimbly removing the colorful quartz crystals and slotting in others.

 

Crow's orbment was almost an exact mirror of his own, only Crow tended to Water while Rean specialized more in Fire. Not for the first time, Rean was bemused by the coincidence.

 

“Are you sure everything's alright?” Rean asked cautiously. “We missed you after class today. As well as during it.”

 

“Ah, well, you know, have to pack and all,” said Crow airily. “Can't have Miss Sharon uncovering certain hidden – goods, after I leave. Would hate to cause a scene. The young miss Reinfort would be scandalized.”

 

“Hidden goo- oh, _Crow_ ,” said Rean in disgust. “Alisa's not the only one who'd be scandalized.”

 

“You'll all have to deal with that subject eventually,” said Crow beneficently, while gesturing grandly with the screwdriver. “Maybe I should leave one or two for you. You can't stay a block of wood forever. Would be a public service! Yes, I thi-”

 

“And you're changing the subject,” said Rean, staring hard at the older man. “Again.”

 

“Erk.”

 

Rean kept staring at Crow and eventually the comedic look of horror went away, replaced by something that looked more like tiredness.

 

“What do you want?” Crow asked resignedly. “A confession? An emotional moment? I'm all out.”

 

Rean shrugged. “A certain somebody told me that friends are the real treasure you earn in your school years. And I don't have so many of them that I can afford losing one. I – you helped me find Elise, you made our concert something amazing, and you always listen to me when I need to talk. I just want to reciprocate for once. Is that so bad?” he asked, head tilted.

 

There was a pause and Crow sighed once or twice before responding.

 

“Maybe you guessed after my stunt with your fifty mira, but I'm not good at the whole upperclassman thing,” said Crow quietly, looking down at his ARCUS. “I really didn't plan on becoming friends with you guys. Throws me off a bit.”

 

Rean paused. “...Is that all?”

 

Crow scowled. “I tell you my deep emotional agony, and you say 'is that all?' Bastard.”

 

“No, I mean,” Rean backpedaled, “we'll still be here, even if we're not in the same class. Actually, you know, you could probably stay in our class if you wanted to.”

 

“Just what I always wanted,” said Crow drily. “Repeating a year! Thank you so much for the offer. You're my best friend.”

 

“I'm happy to hear that,” said Rean, very sincerely, and Crow groaned out loud and dropped down, lying with his back on the bed and his feet on the floor.

 

“Yeah, well, I didn't come here to make friends,” Crow muttered.

 

“Why did you come, then?” Rean pressed, looking hard at him.

 

Crow stared back, crimson eyes open and unusually vulnerable, before snorting.

 

“Isn't it obvious? Easy money! I'm going to be a soldier in some out of the way fortress in Middle of Nowhere, Even Eidos Forgot This Province Exists, Erebonia, and spend my career playing cards in the canteen until my early retirement. Genius plan.”

 

Rean winced. “That sounds like a waste of your life, but if it makes you happy...”

 

Still lying down, Crow turned to face Rean, looking suddenly serious again.

 

“It sure will. You're the one who should worry about wasting your life.”

 

“Me?” said Rean, baffled at how the conversation was aimed at him again. “Why?”

 

“Why are you running from inheriting the Schwarzer estate, then?” Crow asked coolly.

 

“I-I'm adop-” Rean stuttered, thrown off balance by the sudden attack. “I don't want to take Elise's place.”

 

Crow rolled his eyes. “She wants you to take it, you blockhead. And you saw what's going on in the world today with Crossbell and all.”

 

“...Yeah,” said Rean, subdued.

 

“That Eight Leaves sword technique of yours is really something,” continued Crow. “And you've gotten a lot steadier since you started here. I know if I were in Ymir, I'd be relieved to have someone like you in charge.”

 

“I'm not a noble...” Rean demurred.

 

“You don't know that. Besides, that's all the better. Means the Revolutionary party will support you too.”

 

Rean blinked. “I didn't think of it that way..”

 

“That's your problem right there,” said Crow sourly, shutting his eyes. “You're too straightforward. Quit worrying about Crossbell and Garellia and all. You're in school. You should enjoy it, not worry about politics. Or me.”

 

Rean sighed but smiled at Crow. “I wanted to check in on you, but instead I'm the one who's been reassured. Thank you.”

 

Crow waggled the fingers on his left hand in dismissal. “Don't worry about it. That's me. The upperclassman of your dreams. Hire me at parties, I do tricks. Now leave me alone, I need to get some rest before tomorrow. And so do you.”

 

Rean sighed and surrendered. “Good night, Crow,” he said gently. “Thanks for talking with me.”

 

“You're welcome, you busybody,” said Crow brightly. “Good night. Don't worry. I'll see you in class tomorrow.”

 

“I better, or you really will flunk!”

 

“Yeah yeah yeah...”

 

As the door shut, Rean caught one last glance at Crow, who had turned to face the wall.

 

The next morning, Crow didn't come to class.


End file.
